


Eight Hundred

by GogglesXKun



Category: Splatoon
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-21
Updated: 2018-10-21
Packaged: 2019-08-05 08:32:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,178
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16364453
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GogglesXKun/pseuds/GogglesXKun
Summary: Italics- Aloha speakingObvious, I know, but just in case...





	Eight Hundred

**Author's Note:**

> _Italics_ \- Aloha speaking
> 
> Obvious, I know, but just in case...

_“You know, I feel as if we got off on the wrong foot~ My name is Aloha~ I assume you have everyone call you “Safari” based on what your teammates were saying, right~?”_

“Yeah, but you’re not allowed to call me that. Don’t call me anything. Stay away from me…”

_“Aww… Maybe I can change your tune in time~ You aren’t going to shake me off~!”_

“Yes I will. You’ll get the hint eventually that I hate you.”

_“How cruel! You surely don’t mean that~”_

“I swear everything I say to at least you is the truth.”

_“Really now…? We’ll see about that! Goodbye for now though, I’ll see you again soon~!”_

Gods did Safari hate that pink Inkling. The annoying bastard wouldn’t leave him be. He had really meant it when he said that Safari wouldn’t be able to shake him. The cheery, terrifying Inkling would show up at the oddest of times... While he was just out shopping, suddenly he’d be pulled aside, the party king holding out something he had looked at earlier and turned down.

_“You looked pretty upset when you couldn’t grab this, so I got it for you~!”_

“I-I don’t want it… Don’t buy me things! It’s not going to make me want to be around you!”

_“Maybe it won’t, but I won’t stop trying~ I won’t take no for an answer either~ Wait until you get home if you’re going to throw it away~”_

Aloha would usually run off again after the exchange, only to appear again later to try to start up a conversation that got shot down by the other .Gal user… Though, his presents were never thrown away like he thought they were. Safari had always convinced himself it would just be a waste to throw it away for no reason beyond who it was from… And it wasn’t as if he could return it. So the trinkets stayed in various places around the house, whether they were used or not.

The other would also just seem to be taking a similar path home to Safari. Whether it was intentional from the pink bastard stalking him or if it was just by chance, the green .Gal user still doesn’t know. All he knows is he’d hear that fruity voice ring out his name and turn to irritably see the mess of bright colors heading towards him.

_“Safari~!”_

“I told you not to call me that! I told you not to come near me!”

_“Well, I’m not going to leave you alone and I need to call you something~ I could start using “dear” or “love” or maybe even “honey” if you don’t want me calling you “Safari”~”_

“None of those! Just leave me alone!”

_“Safari it is then~!”_

“Ugh… What do you want even?”

_“I wanted you to try something~ I had these amazing cupcakes and I wanted to see what you thought of them!”_

“Why the… Fine, whatever, anything to make you leave faster…”

_“... Well, what do you think~?”_

“... Are you sure you didn’t put something on these? They’re salty. It tastes horrible.”

_“Huh? No, I put nothing on them… Maybe the baker made a mistake… Or you’re lying to me~”_

“I told you, I don’t lie when it comes to you. I have nothing to lie about.”

_“Sure you don’t~ I’ll convince you to tolerate me eventually~”_

“Good luck with that.”

Of course, the baker had made no mistake… But Safari had convinced himself that the cupcakes tasted salty. Nothing that creep liked could be good… Well, maybe some of the people he liked, but that was a different story. They weren’t connected to him as much.

There was also that time during the snow… His jacket had been ruined so he was taking shelter under the overhanging of one of the shops that had closed up for the day. He was just beginning to shiver, his eyes shut so he didn’t have to look at the white inconvenience when he had suddenly felt something warm draped over his shoulders.

_“What happened to your jacket? You always wear it, even during summer… Why are you even out in this storm?”_

“It’s none of your business. Why are you out here even?!... And take your jacket back, I’m plenty warm enough.”

_“You were shivering Safari… You’re hardly used to summer not being cold based on that jacket, this must be killing you…”_

“My body is opposite when it comes to temperatures, who cares. Just take your jacket back.”

_“I will when we get you somewhere warm for the night. I’ll just stay under my umbrella to block the snow for now…”_

Though the green Inkling would never say it out loud, it was probably lucky the chatterbox showed up when he did. Sometime after Aloha had left when he dropped off Safari, the storm started to get heavy, even putting a couple feet on the ground. The pink Inkling was likely caught by at least the start of it on his way home… Not that Safari cared. It’s not like it would kill the annoyance.

Aloha had even appeared during some of the Inkling’s matches. He’d slip past the barriers and check on the green .Gal user when he was separated from his teammates on a lunch break. He’d be staring off into space and then there would suddenly be a shift next to him and a pair of teasing pink eyes staring back at his startled green ones when he looked to see his visitor.

_“Aloha, Safari~! You looked a bit lonely~”_

“That was on purpose… I’d like to go back to it.”

_“Awww, can’t I stay for just a bit~?”_

“No, no you ca-... Was that your stomach?”

_“Ahaha, oops. Guess it’s been longer than I thought since I last ate… But never mind that~”_

“... You’re not going to go away. So I’ll leave instead. I need to go make sure my .Gal is ready for the next match.”

His .Gal had been ready… Though he was a bit hungrier than usual until their next break. He had… “Forgotten” his lunch in his rush to get away from the nuisance. He never did go back to check if it was there or what had happened to it… It likely wouldn’t have been any good by time he got back or the pink idiot would still be there...

Finally, there was that one time… No, those several times that the party king had been to his house in the middle of the night. He was the only one that Safari knew who was up so late when nighttime terrors drove him mad. He blamed the fear for making him think calling the creep he hated so much to come help him calm down was a good idea.

_“Hello…? Safari…? You know what time it is, don’t you? Why are you up…?”_

“I-I… It’s not like I w-want to be up or calling you… But I don’t k-know anyone else stupid enough to be up this l-late…”

_“... Regardless, why are you up at this forsaken hour? I shouldn’t even be up.”_

“... N-Night terrors… I can’t… I can’t sleep right now…”

_“... I’m on my way… Make it easier on both of us and leave the door unlocked…”_

He had left his party and shown up as he said he would, comforting the other despite the occasional insults and reminders that he still hated him. In fact, the ritual became almost a weekly occurrence between the two, with text conversations littered between the nights they saw each other. He hated the fact that Aloha was so eager and willing to respond to his messages even if he was exhausted. He hated that the pink Inkling would show up from little more than a “come here” or “night terrors”. He hated how hard those nights made it to convince himself he hated the Inkling…

… He hated that he convinced himself to keep acting as though he hated the other… Now there was no fixing it. No second chance. No ability to suddenly decide he could drop the act. Now every flash of pink was painful. The flowers that grew at the park were sickening. He hated their bright pink blossoms among the green grass.

He hated that bastard Aloha for putting in so much effort to make friends only to have it thrown back at him with cruel words and actions. He hated that damned idiot for tolerating it. He hated the fucker for still being nice to him even if the start of their communications was less than ideal. He hated him for sticking through it all.

But if there was one thing Safari hated him the most for… It was for the bastard convincing the green Inkling to love him before leaving for good, before Safari finally broke and told him the truth for once. There was no chance to tell him now... Though, it’s not as if he could actually justify hating Aloha for getting sick and having to leave Safari behind. It wasn’t his fault. How could he have seen it coming? Surely he would have done everything to avoid it if he would have known...

Well... Perhaps the pink Inkling had known he was ill... He just hadn't known how to fix it or that it would end him... Safari admits he wasn't helping the other's cause at all... By time Aloha was found, it was far too late. The poor soul was drowned in pink ink and green petals... Safari would never be able to see a Gladiolus the same way again... He had loved bouquets of them when his family was invited to weddings growing up... Now they were a painful reminder of the party king's grim death.

The green Inkling once again stared at his phone, sending another message that will never receive an answer. There were hundreds of these messages... Safari stopped counting around eight hundred… Or maybe he only thought it was eight hundred… “I love you”s, apologies, pleas for an answer, details of his day, details of his nightmares and dreams… All were sent to a number that would never be used again, that would never respond to him.

But he wasn’t looking for a response anymore, regardless of his begging. He could imagine the responses well enough to replace the actual thing by now. He could picture that happy smile, unabashed confidence, teasing tone and playful eyes so well that his dreams may as well be his reality by now. He had even convinced himself that the other had stayed earthbound. Just to visit him in his dreams until he could get there too…

Apologies and “I love you”s that were sent to the silent number were repeated to an angel at night. With a soft giggle the ethereal being would embrace him, setting out to sooth his guilt and happily responding with “I love you”s of his own. It would be like that until the morning when the green Inkling awoke again with the promise that the angel would be back if he made it through the day as normal. It was his drive to live by now.

He couldn’t just leave his friends behind… No, no-one would like that. Aloha in particular would be disappointed. He had loved life in Inkopolis. He had loved their world and how fun it could be with how many different people there were, with how much there was to see and do. For his sake, Safari had to keep on going until it was his time. He had to live for both of them now… While it hurt, he didn’t quite mind it anymore. He was always able to see the pink angel at night…

With a sigh, the green Inkling clicks his phone off and sets it down on the nightstand. It was about time he got to sleep. He hesitates for a moment before sighing, grabbing his phone once more to resume the song he was listening to earlier to drift off to.

**… Every bit of every word that falls out my mouth**

**Is really nothing but a lie.**

**So please I hope you didn’t listen to me…**

**I really hope you just ignore me please….**

**And since the god up there I know does not exist**

**Not a single will come true and so dies every wish**

**And the pain we all feel will never just melt away.**

**Everyone knows that the end will surely come for them someday!**

**You, who I love, with every fiber of being**

**All I wanted was to be with you and never leave.**

**But I can’t because I lied then you were gone.**

**I was a liar right up to the end.**

**I was a liar right up to the end.**

**Every bit of every word that falls out my mouth**

**May be the truth, don’t really know.**

**But in such a pretty world we both had loved**

**Just know I’m living on for both you and me…**

**Just know I’m living on for both you and me…**

**Author's Note:**

> This is based on an English translation of “Eight Hundred”~! Jubphonic’s lyrics in particular were used! Hope you enjoyed~


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